Hawai’i: Jin Din Rou

[Hope you don’t mind the bouncing back and forth between Hawai’i and NYC posts. There’s a few more Hawai’i ones I want to share…and then back to NYC. We’ve planned some holidays for 2012, nothing set in stone, but I’m hoping to visit: Vietnam, China, Vegas, Bandol, and Paris. So much to see… And we’re leaving for the Cayman Islands tomorrow! Gotta get packing.]

But first! Ready for lunch at Jin Din Rou?This my family’s favorite spot for soup dumplings on the island. The $10 lunch combo is a worthwhile deal – four pieces soup dumplings and your pick of either:

…the tan-tan noodles…

…fried rice with pickled Chinese mustard…

…or a saucy seafood stir-fry over rice. Order tan-tan noodles, velvety and heavy on the sesame – the two rice dishes are easy to make at home or find in other restaurants.

These are the “plain” soup dumplings…

…but for a few dollars extra you can substitute different flavors such as the oolong tea soup dumplings, a spicy chili version, and even foie gras soup dumplings.

The $15 lunch combo includes everything above, plus a starter salad…

…and a side dish. I can never pass on this type of garlic eggplant with minced pork dish. Couple with hot rice. Heaven. My major weakness.

Do save room for desserts. Mango snow ice anyone?

Watch out for the popping balls…they catch you off guard. Grandma got a kick out this. She’s accustomed to boba, but these are filled with a liquid – mango juice!

Hi Kathy, Nice pics! I really enjoyed my dinner there in November, but have yet to post my pictures. We went at night, so my photographs are requiring a lot of processing of which a few are unusable. I really enjoyed the oolong tea, spicy chili, and crab. Of course, the shaved ice was very interesting (good). All the negative reviews seem so out of place. Look forward to seeing your posts of all the places you're aspiring to visit!